Avoid D.C., Moyer urges

Tyeesha DixonThe Baltimore Sun

Annapolitans who want to avoid D.C. traffic - or simply share a historic day with neighbors and friends - can stay right in Annapolis, says Mayor Ellen O. Moyer, who announced a variety of Inauguration Day activities to encourage residents to celebrate the occasion in their hometown.

"I think everybody who wants to get into Washington isn't going to be able to get in, and we want to be able to provide an opportunity for them to feel like they're a part of the celebration," Moyer said.

The Tuesday activities in Annapolis include viewing parties during the day and more formal events in the evening.

At City Hall, residents will have the opportunity to watch inauguration events on a big-screen television and enjoy refreshments, such as hot cider and sponge cake, that Moyer said were served at Abraham Lincoln's inauguration.

In the evening, City Hall will be the site of another viewing event, where seafood stew will be served, which Moyer said will also be eaten in Washington that night.

Although most of the hotel rooms in Annapolis have been booked, Moyer said she believes that because of transportation and other limitations, many people won't be able to reach the nation's capital Tuesday.

The mayor said she declined invitations to attend the inauguration in Washington in order to share the day with Annapolitans.

"This is a special event," she said, "and I just felt it was more important to be here with our residents who will be celebrating."

* Watermark's Inaugural Celebration Tour of Historic Annapolis: Featuring the history of African-Americans, the tour of historic Annapolis will include the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial, Thurgood Marshall Memorial and the State House.

The tour will be offered today and tomorrow at 10 a.m. from the Visitors Center at 26 West St. Tickets are $16 for adults, $4 for children 3 to 11 and free for children younger than 3.